Posted on 07/24/2007 6:48:59 AM PDT by Cecily
Ten people are living in Zugey Arzate's little brick house in east Cobb County, and her neighbors say the crowd is causing big problems.
Arzate says her 1,511-square-foot home on Little Road has ample space for her and her nine relatives from Mexico.
Neighbors say that's far too many people in a single-family home. They have counted as many as 10 cars on her property. They fear for their property values.
Such complaints have caught the attention of Cobb County officials, who are targeting homes like Arzate's through a proposed ban on overcrowding in homes that is scheduled for a vote tonight. The proposal would limit the number of people who can live in a home based on its size — one adult per 390 square feet. That would mean Arzate could have perhaps only three adults in her home.
The county also wants to bar people from seeking day labor, a common practice among illegal immigrants hoping to get paid under the table.
Cobb's actions come as other local governments, frustrated by the federal government's inaction, are moving to crack down on illegal immigrants. Cherokee County adopted an ordinance in December to punish landlords who rent to illegal immigrants. Gwinnett County voted last month to require companies seeking county contracts to verify that all of their employees are legal U.S. residents.
Immigrant advocacy groups argue Cobb's housing ordinance violates federal fair housing laws while the ban on day laborers would be an unconstitutional violation of free speech. "This may be a more sophisticated attempt to create a pretext to target Latino populations, be they immigrants or non-immigrants," said Elise Shore, regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...
We are in a fight for our very survival and Bush and his ilk are the problem.
I'm thankful for state and local politicians (as in the above article) who are trying to do the right thing.
It's none of the neighbors' business how many people live in a house. They must have been drinking the Builders' Association Kool-Ade: "You need 1,000 square feet for each family member."
However, there should be some kind of city code enforcement available on the ten cars.
I don’t think we really want to go this route, to fix problems.
If the person owns the house, it’s none of the neighbors business what they do with it, as long as everything is within the law. I would hate to se some kind of density law passed. That could really and unfairly screw a big family.
Two door down from our formerly elegant Victorian home.
Duplex.
Used to house 2 families... now? Who knows?
The front yard has cars and trucks ( all brand new, with loud paint, noisy mufflers, and funny running lights ) parked two rows deep. Figure at least two people per vehicle, so at current count of 11, =22 inside.
Back yard? More vehicles.
Roof is a forest of satellite dishes. Everybody has a cell phone, but no landline.
Like what? If they are all registered, what is the problem? I've had 10, nah, probably closer to 100 cars at my place for a party. Yeah, they aren't living there (some spent the night passed out) but such a rule could kill that unfairly, too.
I do, however, support zoning laws against this sort of thing. They tried to crack down on this in NYC (especially Queens) about ten years ago, but the landlords lobby screamed "racism" (as a cover for their greed) and the cops stopped.
Doesn’t sound like they are violating any laws to me. It may not be pretty, but it sounds like they are within their rights.
Many towns have regulations regarding parking on the street or lawns. If the ten adults (I assume) are all living in the house, then the cars would be there regularly, not just when a party was being held.
You realize that this would basically prevent a family of five from living in a house larger smaller than 1900 sq ft, right?
“Unfairly screw a big family” ?
That imagery is priceless!
Hey, if you are cool with HOA’s, good for you, but I sure the hell don’t want someone telling me what curtains i can put up or can’t, and whether or not I can fly a flag. Choice, it’s what makes America great.
Well, the Fire Marshall was there yesterday- I believe a dwelling designed for 6-8 people might have safety and sanitation violations with over 20.
I agree. I live in a subdivision with HOA myself; among other things, we have rules about parking.
I once was called to replace a hot water tank in a small home in Maple Heights, Ohio. Cleveland suburb. The basement was completely full of triple-high bunkbeds. So was the first floor, and I assume the second floor. I waited a few weeks before calling in a tip. Didn’t want my neighbor, who owned that house and several others, to figure out who tipped off the law. Guy’s a jerk, but now I have a pretty good idea how he’s been able to afford his big house in the country!
Lots of people feel that way ... and so they'd want to live somewhere other than an association-run development. And they can!
They are talking about limiting the number of adults not children. Most kids are kicked to the curb at age 18.
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